Case



E. L. SCHUMACHER.

' CASE.

APPLlCATlON FILED 050. I8. 1919.

1,438,142, Patented Dec. 5,1922.

xxx 2 FIELI INVENTOR EL. MER L. SCHUMACHER a Wm ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

i nirs r r E MEn L. ISCHUMAQIHQER, or somes 'mcs, irassiicncss rs, 'assrsiion To Amhercn'ix'r 'r'rrcar. commits, "or s'ou'rnsiarnsn, nassacnussrrs, A yoiz'uivranv Asso- CIATIOBT or MA's'sAo'HiisETTs.

case.

Ap131ication fi1ed December iaiia Serial No. 3%,?76.

. To ZZZ whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, ELMER L. SCHU- ua cnnn, a citizen of the United States,

residing at Southbridge, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful 'Improvewhich thc case is held in either open or.

closed position by a spring, but which must be manually shifted to either position as desired. 1

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a structure of this character which may be satisfactorily employed with either covered or uncovered spectacle and eyeglass casesor-thelike, and which further will possess the advantage that the opening means are so concealed or protected that accidental striking and thus opening of the case is practically impossible and in all events improbable.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a novel and improved structure for the purposes aforesaid, which shall utilize the present forms or structures of eyeglass cases of other types and shall thus reduce the cost of production of my improvement as a manufacturing proposition to a minimum.

Other objects and advantages of my invention should be readily apparent by reference to the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and it will be understood that I may make any modifications in the specific details of construction shown and described within the scope of the appended claims without departing from or exceeding the spirit of my invention.

Figure I represents a plan view of a case embodying my improvements.

Figure II represents a fragmentary secwith cover raised.

t-ional view of one form of the securing de' vice. u v

Figure III represents a fragmentary view of the structure shown in Figure II Figure IV represents a detail vf ewof one form of spring construction ,parti'cularly' pplicable to the: invention illustrated :in Figures II and III. i

In the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the cover, and the numeral 2 the bottom section of an ordinary eyeglass casc,.the portion 2 being preferably provided with the lip ii which extends reverselyand engages beneath the lid or cover 1 to renderthe case more dust-proof. Eyeglass cases are divided into two general classes, namely covered, creases which have. a leather or other covering material secured onthe outer surface, and the uncovered case, such assilver ,'polished aluminum and the like. My invention is equally applicable to both of these constructions, although in certain instances slight struc tural changes are preferably made according to theparticular type of the .case in question. p J

The coverand base are hingedtogether as by the pintle; 5 which connectsthe hinge ears or portions 6 of the two sectionsplo -hold the cover, in closed position; I either cut integrally therefrom or secure thereto, as by welding, or riveting the depending latch member 22'adapted to interlock with the catch or keeper l1, and I preferably make use of an actuating spring, either integral with or separate from the keeper member, this actuating spring being shaped to conform to the shape of the bottom or base portion 2 of the case and fit around the inner edge thereof in the U-shaped portions 13, united at the front with the latch member through the integral loop 11. The rearward ends of the U-shaped members preferably fit beneath and are securely retained in position by integral ears turned down from the ,rea-rupper edge of the bottom of the case at 21 to receive and make tight joint with 110 the inturned portion 22 on the lid, this inturned portion thus providing the keeper recess 23 to receive the latch member 11 of the spring 13, which is so shaped as to firmly press toward the front of the case and to retain in position the push button 26% in the form of a cup member dropped in the slot 17 to form a closure for the slot and held in place by pressure of the spring 13 thereagainst, providing a satisfactory member which may be pressed inwardly to release the latch and allow the cover to open the walls of the case as at 25, the sides of the slot 17 being bent to form guides for the actuating member 24L.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a pair of hinged members, of means for swinging the members apart on their hinge, a latch carried by one of the members, a keeper by the other member for locking them in closed position, a re silient control for said latch and keeper including a spring member operably associated with one of said parts, and an actuating button interposed between the spring and wall of the case, the button being held in position by the pressure of the spring thereagainst.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a pair of hinged members, of means for swinging the members apart on their hinge, a latch carried by one of the members and a keeper by the other member for locking them in closed position, a resilient control for said latch and keeper including a spring member operably associated with one of said parts, and an actuating buttton interposed between the spring and wall of the case, the button being held in position by the pressure of the spring thereagainst, the case having a slot formed therein affording access to the button, the button being contained within the outlines of the case.

3. In a device of the character described including a pair of hinged members, one of said members having an integral reversely bent edge portion forming a latch and a resilient keeper carried by the other of said members for interlocking engagement with the inwardly deflected portion of the opposed member.

4C. In a device of the character described the combination with a body section, of a cover hinged thereto having a reversely bent front edge portion providing a keeper recess and a resilient keeper carried by the body member and having a portion adapted to project into the recess formed by the reversely curved edge to secure the cover in closed position.

5. In a device of the character described the combination with a body section, of a cover hinged thereto having a reversely bent front edge portion providing a keeper recess and a resilient keeper carried by the body member and having a portion adapted to project into the recess formed by the reversely curved edge to secure the cover in closed position, said body portion having a slot formed therein and the resilient keeper having a portion projecting into and accessible through the slot for release thereof.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

ELMER L. SCHUMACHER. 

